Machine for making matrices.



No. 804,830. PATENTED NOV. 2l, 1905. A. H. GRUSE. MACHINE FOR MAKING MATRICES.

APPLICATION FILED 001226.15304.

5 2 SHE 12s-SHEET 1.

PATBNTED NOV. 21, 1905.

A. H. CRUSH. MACHINE POR MAKING MATRICES.

APPLICATION FILED 0CT.26,1904.

T 2. 6o Z SHEETS SHEE 'UNITED STAWENT oFFIoE. AMANDS H. ORUSE, OF NEW YORK, N. ASSIGNOR TO ROBERT HOE,

OE NEW YORK, N. Y. -v

MACHINE FOR MAKING NIATRICES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 21, 1905.

Application filed October 26, 1904. Serial No. 230,033l

To all whom/ it may concern:

Be it known that I, AMANDus H. GRUSE, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York,county of Kings, and State of New York,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Making Matrices, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to certain improvements in machines for making matrices.

The operation of making matrices, as now practically conducted, is effected by placing a sheet of matrix material on a form which is suitably supported on a bed, the form being usually locked up in a chase. A cover-euch, for instance, as a blanket-is usually placed over the sheet of matrix material, and then this material is forced against the face of the type, so as to cause each type to embed itself in the soft matrix material. When the matrix has been thus forced against the face of the type, the matrix and type are subjected to a heating operation whereby the matrix is baked or hardened, this operation usually being effected by'placing the form and matrix in a hot press. After the heating operation has been continued a sufficient length of time to harden the matrix material the finished matrix is removed from the type and the operation is repeated until a suiicient number of impressions have been obtained. This method of making matrices is objectionable, because it is a slow operation, and also for the reason that the type, being subjected to a-high degree of heat along with the matrix, will expand, and, as they are tightly locked up in the chase, this expansion causes them to elongate, so that type of different fonts do not bear the proper relation to each other. Furthermore, when fonts of type have been used in making matrices a number of times it will happen that some type of a font will be used more than others, and therefore type of the same font being subjected to different degrees of heat will elongate unevenly, so that after continued use the type of a font present a face of uneven height, which is objectionable. The fonts of type have, therefore, to be frequently renewed.

The present invention has for one of its objects to produce an improved machine f or making matrices, in which the matrix-forming operation may be quickly carried out.

A further object of the invention is' to produce a machine for making matrices in which the matrix shall be dried or hardened after its removal from the type, so that the type are not subjected to high degrees of heat which cause them to elongate.

With these and other objects in View the invention consists in certain constructions and in certain parts, improvements, and combinations, as will be hereinafter fully described and specifically pointed out.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 represents, in side elevation, one form of machine embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Figs. 3, 4:, and 5 are diagrammatic views, partly in section, illustrating the operation of the mechanism.

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate a concrete embodiment'of the invention, 1 indicates the frame of the machine, whichmay be of any desired construction. Machines constructed in accordance with the invention will embody a form-support, which support may be widely varied in construction and mode of operation and will vary according to the type of machine in which the invention is embodied. In the construction which has been selected to illustrate the invention the formsupport consists of a flat bed 2, which, as shown, reciprocates on roller-bearings 3, mounted in holding-ribs 4, this construction being a usual construction in bed-and-cylinder printing-machines.

The bed may be driven by constructions which vary widely and which necessarily will vary according to the type of bed or formsupport which is employed. When a reciproj cating form-support or bed is employed, aconvenient form of driving means is that illustrated in the drawings. As shown, the under side of the bed is provided with a rack 5, which meshes with a traveling gear 6, this gear also being in mesh with a rack 7 mounted on a suitable support 8, carried on the machine-frame. This gear 6 is provided with an axle 9, to which is connected, by suitable bearings, a forked connecting-rod 10. This connecting-rod 10 is secured to a crank-arm 11, which is carried on a driving-shaft 1i, supported in suitable bearings in the frame. The shaft 12 in the construction illustrated is provided withv a gear 13, which meshes with a gear 14, this gear being loosely mounted on a stud 15.y (Shown in dotted lines in Fig.

- which is in some of its featuressimilar to the f well-known railroad-gear employed in drivingy the beds of bed-.and-cylinder presses, operates, as will be readily understood, to give the `form-supporting bed a reciprocating movement.

A machine embodying the invention will be Aprovided with a carrier on which the matrix material is supported in order that it may receive they impression from the type-form on the form-supporting bed. The carrier may be varied widely in construction-and mode of operation and will vary according to the particular type of machine in vwhich the invention is embodied. In the construction shown the carrier is of the rotary type. l/Vhen a rotary carrier is employed, it may be mounted and operated in any desired manner. As shown, the frame of the machine is provided with upwardly-extending standards 23, in which are mounted bearing-blocks 24, these blocks serving to support a shaft 25, which is the shaft of the carrier.

The carrier is provided with a matrix-material-.supporting surface, said surface being indicated at 26, and is also provided with a counterbalancing-web 27, this counterbalancing-web being so located as to clear the form on the bed on the return movement of the bed. The rotary carrier, when a rotary carrier, is employed, may be driven in a variety of ways. In the construction shown the carrier is at times driven by the bed and at times by gearing operated directly from the driving mechanism of the machine. When the driving is accomplished partly through the bed and partly through gearing, as described, the particular construction by which the driving is .effected may be widely varied. As shown,

the bed is provided with a pair of racks 29, th'ese racks being bolted to the bed. The carrier is provided with a pair of curved segmental racks 30, these racks being suitably f sideof the frame of the machine.

bolted or otherwise secured to the ends of the carrier and corresponding in length with the In the preferred construction the toothed part of the gear 31 will be of suflicient length so that ,it will overlap by two or three teeth the teeth of the segmental rack 30, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The teeth of this gear 31 are arranged to mesh with a gear 32, (see dotted lines in Fig. 1,) this gear being loosely supported on the stud 17, before referred to. This gear 32 is in mesh with the gear 14, before described as loosely mounted on the stud 15.

With this construction it will be apparent that during the time when the. matrix-support, with the matrix material thereon, is passing the type-form on the bed 2 the carrier will be driven from the racks 29 `and the movement of the carrier and the bed will therefore be exactly uniform. After, however, the matrix-supporting surface has passed the bed the carrier will be driven by the gear 31 through the train of gearing before described.

Suitable means `will be provided for holding the matrix on the matrix-supporting surface of the carrier, and in the preferred construction these /means will comprise devices for holding not only the forward or head end vof the matrix material, but alsol the rear or tail end. While these may be varied in construction, .as shown two sets of grippers are employed for this purpose, Vthe grippers ymarked 33 operating on the head end of the matrix-material-supporting surface and the grippers 34 operating at the tail end of said surface. The grippers, when grippersare employed, may be mounted and operated in any desired manner. In the preferred construction the grippers at the head end of the' matrix-material-supporting surface will be manually operated and the grippers at the other end will be automatically operated. Preferably,y furthermore, suitable locking devices will be employed for holding the grippers in their operative position.

In the particular construction shown the IOO IIO

grippers 33 are mounted on a shaft 35, exv tending across. the carrier andjournaled in suitable bearings `mounted in a gap 36, located between the matrix-material-supporting surface 26 and the counterbalancing-surface 27. As shown, this shaft 35 is provided with a handle 37, by which it is operated.

The grippers 34 are similarly mounted on a shaft 38, supported in suitable bearings located in a gap 39, between the other end of the matrix-material-supporting surface 26 and the adjacent end of the counterbalancingsurface 27 The means for operating this set of grippers will preferably be of such construction that the grippers are not brought into operation until after the type have vproduced an impression on the matrix material carriedon the supporting-surface 26. While the operating devices for these grippers 34 may vary widely, as shown, the shaft 38 is bowl 41 thereon which is arranged to strike when the grippers are opened a gripper-op- -ing-press constructions.

-be simultaneously released.

erating block 42. (See Figs. 1 and 4.) As shown, this block is pivoted to the frame at 43, and its position is controlled by means of a spring-rod 44, of a type common in print- This block 42 is so located that it will not be struck by the bowl '41 on the arm 4() until after the form has completed its impression on the matrix material.

VAs the type completes its impression on the matrix material, however, the bowl 41 strikes the block 42 and the shaft 38 is rocked to throw the grippers 34 into operative position. The grippers in this preferred construction, as before indicated, are held in operative position by means of suitable locking devices, and in the preferred construction also these-locking devices are constructed so as to While the locking devices may be of any suitable character, as shown, the shaft is provided with an arm 45, which is notched to take under a latch 46, pivoted on the end of the carrier. The

4arm 40 is also provided with a notch which takes under a latch 47, also pivoted on the end of thecarrier. These two latches in the particular construction shown are connected by means of a spring-rod 48, and the latch 46 is provided with an operating-handle 49.

A suitable support will be provided on which the sheets of matrix material rest preparatory to its being transferred to the matrix-material-supporting surface on thecar- While this support may be of any suitable character, as shown it consists of an inclined table 50, supported on suitable brackets 5l, mounted on the carrier-supporting standards of the frame.

In the preferred construction the matrix will be dried or hardened by being exposed to heat when out of contact with the form. The means by which this is effected may be varied and will vary according to the type of machine in which theinvention is embodied. In the particular construction illustrated there is provided a drierhavinga curved upwardlyextending portion 52 located alongside the path of rotation of the carrier and a rearwardly-extending portion 53, this portion being bent down, as shown, and being supplied with suitable heating means-as, for instance, Bunsen burners 54. This drier may be supported in any suitable manner. As shown, a pair of brackets 55 are provided for this purpose, these brackets extending from the bracket 5l, and the drier is further supported by a pair of brackets 56, which extend upward from the frame of the machine.

It will be observed that the mechanism is of such a character that after the matrix material has been positioned upon the matrix-material-supporting surface of the carrier the carrier may be caused to rotate continuously,

so as to present the 4matrix a 'plurality of times to the action of the form on the formsupporting surface-that is to say, in the particular construction shown the bed will continue to reciprocate, and the carrier, with the matrix material thereon, will continue to presentthe matrix material to the action of the form on the bed until the machine is stopped and the finished matrixis removed. Furthermore, after each impressing operation, and while the bed is returning for a fresh operation, the matrix passes in front of the drier 52, which directs hot air against the face of the matrix, so that the matrix is successively impressed and dried until it is hardened sufficiently to be removed from the carrier. During these operations exact register is maintained by the driving mechanism before described, so that at each successive operation the type make their impression at exactly the same points as on the previous impression.

In the operation of the machine the matrix material is first laid upon the table 50 with its end projecting slightly over the table. It may be here remarked that in the practical operation of the machine the matrix material will preferably rest upon a blanket or similar soft backing, which blanket will be transferred to the cylinder with the matrix material. The matrix material having been, as before described, laid upon the table 50 with the end projecting slightly thereform, the lgrippers 33 will be operated by the handle 37, the matrix material and blanket being thus clamped to the supporting-surface'26. The machine is then started up, and the matrix material and blanket are transferred by the movement of the carrier from the table 50 to the matrix-material-supporting surface 26. lAs the rotation of the carrier continues the head of the matrix material meets the type of the form on the bed 2, and the type impresses itself into the matrix material in a manner similar to the printing operation carried out on bedand-cylinder printing-machines. If desired, a guide 57 may be employed to prevent the matrix material from falling away from the matrix-supporting surface of the carrier, this guide being carried upon rods 58, which are in turn supported by bracket 59, extending forward from the standards of the frame. As the type completes its impression on the matrix material the gripper-s 34 are by means heretofore described thrown into operation to clamp the tail of the matrix material to the tail of the material-supporting surface 26. The matrix thus clamped on the carrier passes in front of the drier, the bed reversing and returning as the carrier continues to rotate, the carrier being at this time driven by the gear 3l. As

made, and this operation is repeated until the matrix is sufficiently dried to be removed from the form. At this time the machine is stopped and the gripper-operating latches 46 47 are thrown back through the handle 49 and the spring-rod 48, thus unlocking the grippers. The matrix may then be removed from the supporting-surface 26 and a fresh matrix substituted therefor.'

It has been found in practice that the operation of making matrices in the manner described can be carried on much more rapidly than by the methods now employed for this purpose, and the type are not subjected to heat in the matrix-making operation, so that they last much longer than in the method of making matrices now usually commercially practiced.

As has been before indicated, the mechanism by which this invention is carried into effect may be widely varied from that shown in the accompanying drawings. The invention is not, therefore, to be restricted to the particular mechanism illustrated, as the invention may be embodied in constructions which differ widely therefrom.

What is claimed is- 1. lIn a machine for making matrices, the combination with a carrier for the matrix material, of a form-support, means for producing a plurality of relative -movements between the carrier and the support to bring the matrix material into contact a plurality of times with the form on the support, whereby the material is subjected to a plurality of impressing operations, and means for subjecting the matrix material to heat between the impressing operations, substantially as described. 2. In a machine for making matrices` the combination with a rotary carrier for the matriX material, of a form-support, means for causing the carrier to make a plurality of rev- -olutions and the form-carrier a plurality of corresponding movements, thus bringing the matrix material a plurality of times into contact with the form on the form-support,

Awhereby the matrix material is subjected lto a plurality of impressing operations, and means for subjecting' the matrix material to heat between the impressing' operations, substantially as described.

3. In a machine for making matrices, the

, combination with a carrier for the matrix mamatrix material, of a'form-support including a flat bed, means for reciprocating the bed and rotating carrier a plurality of times to bring the matrix material a plurality of times into contact with the form on the bed, whereby the material is subjected to a plurality of impressing operations, and means for subjecting the matrix material to heat between the impressing operations, substantially as described.

5. In a machine for making matrices, the combination with a rotating carrier having a matrix-material-supporting surface, of holding means for'the matrix material at each end of said surface, a form -support, means for causing the carrier to make a plurality of revolutions to bring the matrix material a plurality of times into contact with the form on the support, whereby the material is subjected to a plurality of impressing operations, and

means for subjecting the matrix material to heat between the .impressing operations, substantially as described.

6. In a machine for making matrices, the

vcombination with a rotating carrier having a support for the matrix material, of holding devices at each end of said support, a form-support, means for causing the carrier to make a plurality of revolutions to bring -the matrix material a plurality of times into contactvwith the form on the support, means for operating the holding devices at the head of the matrix material before the material is brought into contact with the form on the first impressing operation, and means for operating the holding devices at the tail of the matrix material after the first impressing operation is completed, substantially as described.

7 In a machine for making matrices, the

combination with a rotating carrier having a support for the matrix material, of holding devices at each end of said support, a form-supv port, means for causing the carrier to make a plurality of revolutions to bring the matrix material a plurality of times into contact with the form on the support, means for operating the holding devices'at the head of the matrix material before the material is brought into contact with the form on the first impressing operation, means for operating the holding devices at the tail of the matrix material after the first impressing operation is completed, and means for subjecting the matrix material to heat between the impressing operations, substantially as describe 8. In a machine for making matrices, the combination with a rotating carrier having a support for the matrix material, of holding devices at each end of said support, a formsupport, means for causing the carrier to make a plurality of revolutions to bring the matrix IOO IIO

material a plurality of times into contact with the form on the support, means for operating the holding devices at the head of the matrix material before the material is brought into contact with the form on the first impressing support for the matrix material, of holding devices at each end of said support, a formsupport, means for causing the carrier to make a plurality of revolutions to bring the matrix material a plurality of times into contact with the form on the support, means for operating the holding devices at the head of the matrix material before the material is brought into contact with the form on the first impressing operation, means for automatically operating the holding devices at the tail of the matrix material after the first impressing operation is completed, and means for subjecting the matrix material to heat between the impressing operations, substantially as described.

10. In a machine for making matrices, the com bination with acarrier for the matrix material, of a form-support, means for producing a plurality of relative movements between the carrier and the support to bring the matrix material a plurality of times into contact with the form on the support, whereby the material is subjected to a plurality of impressing operations, and means for subjecting the face of the matrix material to heat between impressing operations, substantially as described.

11. In a machine for making matrices, the combination with a rotary carrier for the matrix material, of' a form-support, means for causing the carrier to make a plurality of rotations to bring .the matrix material into contact with the form on the support a plurality of times, whereby the material is subjected to a plurality of impressing operations, and means for subjecting the face of the matrix material to heat between impressing operaations, substantially as described.

12. In a machine for making matrices, the combination with a rotary carrier having a support for the matrix material, of a holding device at each end of the support, a form-support, means for causing the carrier to make a plurality ofrotations to bring the matrix material a plurality of times into contact with the form on the form-support, whereby the matrix material is subjected to a plurality of impressing operations, means forsubjecting -the face of the matrix material to heat bepressing operation is completed, substantially as described.

13. In a machine for making matrices, the

combination with a rotary carrier having a support for the matrix material, of a holding device at each end of the support, a form-support, means for causing the carrier to make a plurality of revolutions to bring the matrix material a plurality of times into contact with the forrn on the form-support, whereby the matrix material is subjected to a plurality of impressing operations, means for subjecting the face of the matrix material to heat between impressing operations. and means for operating the holding device at the head of the matrix-support surface before the first impressing operation is begun and for automatically operating the device at the tail of the matrix-supporting surface after the first impressing operation is completed, substantially as described.

14. In a machine for making matrices, the combination with a rotary carrier having a supporting-surface for the matrix material,

of locking devices at each end of said supporting-surface, a form-support, means for causing the carrier to make a plurality of revolutions to bring the matrix material a plurality of times into contact with the form on the support whereby the 4material is subjected to a plurality of impressing operations, means for manually operating the holding devices at the head of the matrix-supporting surface before the first impressing operation is begun, and means for automatically operating the holding devices at the tail of the matrix-material-supporting surface after the first impressing operation is completed, substantially as described.

15. In a machine for making matrices, the combination with a rotary carrier having a supporting-surface for the matrix material, of locking devices at each end of said supporting-surface, a form-support, means for causing the carrier to make a plurality of revolutions to bring the matrix material a plurality of times into contact with the form on the support whereby the material is subjected to a plurality of impressing operations, means for manually operating the holding devices at the head of the matrix-supporting surface before the first impressing operation is begun, means for automatically operating the holding devices at the tail of the matrix-materialsupporting surface after the first impressing operation is completed, and means for subjecting the face of the matrix material to heat between successive impressing operations, substantially as described.

16. In a machine for forming matrices, the combination with a form-support, of a rotary matrix-carrier, means for operating the support and carrier so as to cause the type impression to be made in the matrix material, and means for drying the matrix out of contact with the form, substantially as described.

17. ln a machine for making matrices, the combination with a form-support, of a rotary IOO IOS

IIO

IIS

ISO

carrier having a matrix-supporting surface, means for securing both ends of the matrix material to said surface` means for operating the carrier and form-supporting surface so as to cause the type impression to be formed in the matrix, and a drier located adjacent to the path of the carrier, substantially as described.

18. .In a matrix-making machine, the combination with a form-support, of a rotary carrier, a support for the matrix material on the carrier, means for securing both ends of the material to said support, means for operating the carrier and support to cause the matrix material to be brought a plurality of times into contact with the form on the form-supporting surface, and a drier located adjacent to the path of the carrier, substantially as described.

witnesses.

AMANDUS H. CRUSE. Witnesses:

F. CRANE, L. RoEHM. 

